Also…my bestie is the guest blogger on FreeSpirit’s blog today.  Go and check out her tutorial…and you can win a Field Study charm pack on her blog.  So make sure you go and check it out…

Today I am guest posting over on Sara from Sew Sweetness…hope that you’ll hop on over and see my Tula quilt.  I am in love with this quilt and it was a dream to sew up.

For the month of September, Craft Buds is hosting a Craft Book Blog Hop.  Each blogger {which I hope that you will go and take a look at everyone’s projects} has chosen a craft book and has made a project out of it.  When Lindsay asked me if I wanted to join in, I of course said yes, but then immediately had a hard time choosing which book let alone which project!  I finally landed on pulling out my “Bags: the Modern Classics” craft book by Sue Kim and decided that it has been sitting in my closet neglected for way too long!

The entire reason that I bought this book was for the clutch on the cover!  {I guess Stash Books knew what they were doing.  ;)}  Then when I found out it was called the {Uptown Clutch} I knew that it was meant to be.  {Charlotte’s downtown area is called “uptown.”}  But I have yet to make it because I am waiting for the perfect fabric.

When I received the book in the mail I immediately sat down and started thumbing through it, earmarking almost every other page!  There are 19 projects and 75+ bags to choose from!

Like this {sunglass case}…such a cute gift for friends or even teachers…

And I thought this {Metro Shopping Bag} was an absolute must…the fun you could have shopping with this bag over your shoulder.  :)

I’m a sucker for big bags…the more stuff I can cram in them,the better.  :)  So the {Urban Carryall} is on the short list too.

But for this review, I decided on making the {Floral Bag}…minus the corsage.

I chose to use Valori Wells Cocoon.

This is the interior of the bag.  Originally I felt like the butterflies would be too much but now I really like it.  When I took this picture, I quickly realized that had I not put in the snap because of the way that I finished the bag {read my review under modifications}…it could have been reversible!  Bummer!

Now for my pattern review of the {Floral Bag}…

Materials::

I chose to make my bag in quilting cotton.  I used Valori Wells Cocoon.  You also need a magnetic snap for the closure and lightweight fusible interfacing.  I chose to use Shape Flex-101 because I like for my bags to be a little more stiff.

Pattern Pieces::

There are not any pattern pieces for this bag in particular.  The author gives you the measurements and you cut your own.  There is a template in the back that gives you the markings for the bottom curves and the placement of the darts.  However, for other bags there are pattern pieces or templates available.  You will find the templates on 2 pages in the back of the book.  You really have to pay attention because some of them overlap and you could get things a little confused if you were not careful.

Illustrations/Instructions::

I found that the instructions were clearly written.  Though I did find that the author did not include what the seam allowance should be {I used a 1/2″ seam allowance} and she did not include how far down the magnetic snap should go on the interior panel.  On other templates the placement of the magnetic snaps are indicated.  I know that these 2 simple exclusions can be a personal preference but for a beginner making her first bag, I thought that it might be helpful.  I thought that the picture illustrations did a nice job showing you what was being done in case you needed clarification.

Modifications::

I did make a few minor modifications.  I chose to use Shape Flex-101 interfacing instead of the lightweight interfacing recommended.  I am glad I did because I feel that this bag, as large as it is, needed more support.  However, I wish that I had used 2 pieces of SF-101 per pattern piece opposed to one.  The pattern also called for you to use the interfacing on just the exterior but I chose to do both exterior and interior pieces.

I also chose to sew the bag together  slightly different.  The author tells you to leave an opening at the bottom of the lining for turning.  This is my personal preference but I like to leave an opening at the top of the bag when I am sewing the exterior and interior pieces together.  I can easily turn the bag and then once I fold under the seam allowance and top stitch, you can’t even tell where the bag was put together.

One other slight change that I am going to do, though I have not yet, is to tack down the handles to the top panel…yet again, a personal preference

Difficulty::

This bag is very easy to make, especially once you have the pieces and markings in the right place.  It is beginner friendly and I would recommend that if you are looking for a bag to learn basic bag construction, this is a great place to start.  For the more advanced sewist, you can bang this out in no time!

Conclusion::

I enjoyed making this bag…it is a whole-heck-of-a-lot larger than I had thought.  Though I love large bags, I had plans to use it as my new bible study bag but things might get lost in it forever.  But with Sewing Summit just around the corner, it might just make the journey with me so I can travel handmade.  :)

Overall, I felt that the pattern was thorough and clear.  I am not a huge fan of the way that the patterns are included but I also understand that this may have been the best way.  There are plenty of projects for the beginner, intermediate and advanced sewist with explanations of enhancements in the beginning of the book.  So, if you are looking for a book that has plenty of projects and bags for every occasion, then this is a great choice for the money!

Now it’s your turn…I hope that you’ll go make something up out of one of your craft books that is sitting on the shelf and then join in on the fun over at Craft Buds!

No time to create a project? This month, just follow Craft Buds and comment to win some new craft books and lots of giveaways!